1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to overhead garage doors and, more particularly, to a screen door for cooperative use with an overhead type of garage door.
Access to most garages is provided by some type of a paneled overhead garage door that includes a plurality of hinged panels that are raised along a pair of parallel spaced-apart tracks disposed on opposite sides of the garage door. The overhead garage door may be raised manually or an automatic remote-controlled garage door opening mechanism may be used. As used herein, the term “garage door” refers to either a manually activated or an automatically controlled paneled overhead garage door of any width or height.
Garages are used for many purposes. For example, automobiles, lawnmowers, shop tools and all manner of storage items are often placed in the interior of a garage. However, garages are also used for purposes other than the storage of vehicles or other objects, therein.
For example, people may use their garage as an exercise room. Various pieces of exercise equipment such as a treadmill, a stationary bicycle or a set of free-weights may be placed within the garage to provide a gym-type environment at home. By having the garage as an exercise room, the garage provides a convenient location for people to work out at any time of the day.
The garage may also be used as a workshop or a hobby shop. The homeowner may work on a vehicle, do woodworking or build models within the garage.
Additionally, people may use their garage as a children's playroom. The converted playroom can be filled with various toys and games which, in turn, can lessen the amount of clutter within a child's bedroom. The children can utilize the garage as a space where they can play with the toys and games or create arts and craft projects that may otherwise be unable to complete within an interior of the home where there is insufficient room.
Other people use the garage interior for socializing. A larger generally open area for interacting is provided by the garage interior space. For example, during the rain when a barbeque or outdoor gathering is planned, guests may congregate in the garage to socialize while enjoying an outdoor feeling from the open garage door while still being protected from the rain.
Even if no rain is forthcoming, the large open area of the garage may be preferred for informal get-togethers. An old refrigerator and a folding table for serving food and drink, dining, or playing cards may be all that is needed to convert a garage into an effective gathering area for guests. Some people also include a television in their garage for watching baseball or football games. Families may also use the garage as a “family room” where everyone can gather to watch movies or shows on the television together.
Even if one or more automobiles are normally stored in the garage, they can easily be removed when desired for socializing.
However, there are disadvantages to having an open garage door. It is easy for meat-eating bees to enter. Their presence is especially annoying and may even be alarming to many guests. Mosquitos can similarly enter and adversely affect the use of the area. While exclusion of the entry of all bees and mosquitos may not be possible, it is desirable to deter the greater amount from entering, as would occur if the garage door were opened without any resistance to their entry.
Similarly, unwanted cats and dogs may enter the garage at will. People gathering within the garage are likely to be bothered by unwanted cats or dogs while they are eating or socializing in the garage. The unwanted cats or dogs may beg for food or cause other undesired nuisances.
The garage may also be a place where a dog or a cat may be kept while the homeowner is away from home. The dog or cat may be placed within the garage while the homeowner goes to work or leaves the home to run errands. It is also desirable to keep the unwanted cats or dogs out of the garage while a pet is within the garage. The unwanted animal may attack the pet or try to eat the food that has been provided for the pet.
In addition to keeping out unwanted animals, there is a need to supply air flow and ventilation for the pet while it is kept within the garage. On a hot day without ventilation, ambient temperatures within a closed garage can soar to high levels which may place the animal's health at risk.
Presently when leaving a pet in the garage, the garage door is typically left partially open to provide ventilation while the pet is kept within the garage. The door is partially raised to a height that will not permit the pet to escape from the garage, which is generally a few inches. However, unwanted animals may still manage to enter the small gap between the garage door and the floor of the garage. As mentioned previously, the unwanted animal may disturb the pet inside, eat, or contaminate the pet's food.
It is desirable to provide a garage door screen that can be raised to any desired height. A small opening is preferred when it is windy, snowing, or gusty rains are falling. This is to prevent excessive outside air from entering the garage interior which might make it uncomfortably cold or to prevent excessive moisture from entering. Alternately when the weather is warm, it is desirable to raise the garage door screen into a more fully extended position to maximize the amount of air flow into and out of the garage.
Additionally, people passing by may be curious as to what contents may be stored within the garage. The garage door being partially open provides potential intruders with an opportunity to look into an interior of the garage. If a thief finds something of interest he may break in then or later. Accordingly, it is preferable to limit viewing of the contents in the garage under certain situations. For example, this need may be more acute in certain neighborhoods.
Furthermore, the people using their garage for any of the aforementioned purposes may also enjoy privacy while still enjoying the benefit of having the garage door open. Should a person be exercising or watching a sporting game or movie in the garage with the door open, it is likely that the person would prefer a way to provide privacy and prevent being seen by people and cars passing by the open garage door. They may also want to decrease the amount of light entering into the garage when, for example, they are watching television on a brightly-lit day.
While the use of a screen door is preferred, there are numerous problems With existing designs. Prior solutions require a user to manually secure a bottom of a screen to eye-hooks that are embedded in the garage floor. This requires manipulation and bending down to secure or release the bottom of the screen from engagement with the floor. Additionally, the elevated eye-hooks pose a significant ongoing tripping hazard.
The embedded eye-hooks of prior garage door screens extend upward from the garage floor and are also not designed to withstand the weight of a vehicle passing over the eye-hooks embedded in the garage floor. If the eye-hooks are run over by the tires, they may be bent from the weight of the vehicle, and furthermore, they may cause damage to the vehicle's tires.
Other prior art garage door screens require the screen portion to be attached directly to the garage door or frame of the garage door opening. This adds additional weight and bulk to the garage door, which is undesirable. Also, some homeowners or business owners may not want to see the screen enclosure when the screen is not in use.
Embedding the entire garage door screen within the garage floor would provide a convenient way to store the garage door screen when it is not in use. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a mounting system for a garage door screen that is completely housed within the garage floor.
The need for ventilation of a garage interior, control of moisture entry, prevention of animals or people from entering, limit visibility of the garage interior apply also to commercial uses. For example, a commercial garage interior that is used for the repair of automobiles, or any other commercial purpose, would also stand to benefit from the use of a garage door screen.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a garage door screen that helps to ameliorate the above-mentioned problems and difficulties as well as ameliorate those additional problems and difficulties as may be recited in the “OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION” or discussed elsewhere in the specification or which may otherwise exist or occur and that are not specifically mentioned herein.
As various embodiments of the instant invention help provide a more elegant solution to the various problems and difficulties as mentioned herein, or which may otherwise exist or occur and are not specifically mentioned herein, and by a showing that a similar benefit is not available by mere reliance upon the teachings of relevant prior art, the instant invention attests to its novelty. Therefore, by helping to provide a more elegant solution to various needs, some of which may be long-standing in nature, the instant invention further attests that the elements thereof, in combination as claimed, cannot be obvious in light of the teachings of the prior art to a person of ordinary skill and creativity.
Clearly, such an apparatus would be useful and desirable.
2. Description of Prior Art
Screens for garage doors are, in general, known. For example, the following patent documents describe various types of these devices, some of which may have some degree of relevance to the invention. Other patent documents listed below may not have any significant relevance to the invention. The inclusion of these patent documents is not an admission that their teachings anticipate any aspect of the invention. Rather, their inclusion is intended to present a broad and diversified understanding regarding the current state of the art appertaining to either the field of the invention or possibly to other related or even distal fields of invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,014 to Crider, et al., that issued on Sep. 13, 2011;
U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,451 to Miller, et al., that issued on Nov. 16, 2010;
U.S. Pat. No. 7,509,990 to Milligan, that issued on Mar. 31, 2009;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,614 to Lampers, that issued on May 6, 2003;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,963 to Vaske, that issued on Sep. 18, 2001;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,698 to King-Darr, that issued on Aug. 8, 2000;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,007 to Tomita, that issued on May 9, 2000;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,566 to Miale, that issued on Mar. 31, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,568 to Youngs, that issued on Jan. 14, 1969;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,400 to Poulsen, that issued on Mar. 4, 1958;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,605,823 to Lockhart, that issued on Aug. 5, 1952;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,560,440 to Heeren, that issued on Jul. 10, 1951;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,243,790 to Blood, that issued on May 27, 1941;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,239,006 to Krywonis, that issued on Apr. 22, 1941;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,012,124 to Feige, that issued on Aug. 20, 1935;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,803,674 to Nicholson, that issued on May 5, 1931;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,800,080 to Kaminski, et al., that issued on Apr. 7, 1931;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,738,131 to Wolzenski, et al., that issued on Dec. 3, 1929;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,660,225 to Haftel, that issued on Feb. 21, 1928;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,544,702 to Trifari, that issued on Jul. 7, 1925;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,527,038 to Fasson, that issued on Feb. 17, 1925;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,458,617 to Smidt, that issued on Jun. 12, 1923;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,223,934 to Charlton, that issued on Apr. 24, 1917;
U.S. Pat. No. 912,104 to Flora, that issued on Feb. 9, 1909;
U.S. Pat. No. 681,249 to Nevins, that issued on Aug. 27, 1901;
U.S. Pat. No. 611,924 to Monroe, that issued on Oct. 4, 1898; and
U.S. Pat. No. 528,992 to Sholder, that issued on Nov. 13, 1894.
And including U.S. Patent Application Publications:
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0315328 to Hazel, that published on Dec. 29, 2011;
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0037716 to Hatten, that published on Feb. 23, 2006; and
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0020607 to Aguirre, Jr., et al., that published on Feb. 5, 2004.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices may, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.